The number using the Internet in homes across Britain and Ireland is still very low, but the BBC is again teaming up with thousands of organisations to give free crash courses on getting started on the Net. This is its second phase of WebWise and the campaign includes a CD-Rom which gives a step-by-step tutorial to getting started on the Web. The series begins on Monday at 11.30 a.m. on BBC2 with Family Challenge on the Web.
The most recent ESRI figures show that the Republic's economy will keep growing for the next six years, but 30 per cent of the population is living in poverty and rural towns are especially threatened. In an attempt to tackle the crisis the Government has published a White Paper on rural development. Leargas (Tuesday, 7.30 p.m., RTE1) profiles the village of Rosmuc in the Connemara Gaeltacht which has been devastated by a decreasing population, a lack of investment and a high rate of unemployment.
As the toy companies gear up for Christmas their potential market is shrinking as the cut-off point for playing with traditional toys falls earlier each year. Getting Older Younger (Wednesday, 9.50 p.m., BBC2) explores how advertising spends millions to target this fickle market.
David Sullivan made his estimated £400 million sterling (€620 million) fortune out of pornography and property, but 13 years ago he decided he wanted the rich man's toy - a newspaper - and took on The Sport. In Back to The Floor: The Write Stuff (Thursday, 9.00 p.m., BBC2) he goes to work as a journalist on his own newspaper - he survives but is glad to return home.
sokelly@irish-times.ie
